Stovetop Pulled Pork on Homemade Buns

I'm on the monthly post schedule these days... We have several major transitions approaching, so blogging has definitely taken a back seat. I am hoping to get back into the normal groove that I attempted to revive once we get a few things settled. For now, enjoy April's monthly recipe:  Pulled Pork on Homemade Buns. 

I've tried my hand at several pulled pork recipes, majority of them involving my beloved slow cooker. This one takes a different approach, with a different cut of meat. Any guesses where the recipe is from? Of course, none other than America's Test Kitchen! I have had the recipe card from an old Cook's Country issue tucked away in my recipe binder for several years, and finally got around to trying it out.  The results: delicious! The meat has so much flavor and turns out plenty tender. I'm also sharing an added bonus of a homemade hamburger bun recipe, retrieved from the Taste of Home website. Enjoy!

Indoor Pulled Pork - from Cook's Country Magazine

Ingredients:

1 t. Chili powder

1 t. Paprika

1 t. Garlic powder

1/4 t. Salt

1/2 t. Pepper

2 pork tenderloins (about 2 lbs total), cut into 1" slices

1 T. Vegetable oil

1/2 c. Chicken broth

1/2 c. Barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is our choice!)

3 T. Cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine spices in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle spice mixture over it evenly.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking, Add pork and cook until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large bowl and tent with foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes before shredding into bite-sized pieces.

3. While the pork is resting, add broth barbecue sauce, and vinegar to the empty skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 3 minute. Stir in the shredded meat and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

Serve with pickles or coleslaw!

Hamburger Buns - adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

2 T. Active dry yeast

1 c. + 2 T. Warm water (110-115 degrees)

1/3 c. Vegetable oil

1/4 c. Sugar

1 egg

1 t. Salt

3 to 3 1/2 c. All-purpose flour

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, Add the egg, salt, and 3 cups of flour.

2. Increase speed to medium-high and knead for 3 to 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Add remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough is very sticky.

3. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and shape into a smooth ball. Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, at least 10 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 425. Remove plastic wrap/towel, and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Blueberry Buttermilk Bake

Inspired by a recipe from Pinterest, again! This made a fantastic group brunch dish... I'm sure you could use other berries (would probably be good with raspberries)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Zest from 1 large lemon
2 c. white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Set aside 2 Tablespoons of the sugar.  Cream butter with lemon zest and remaining sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/2 cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a 9x13" pan with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with  reserved sugar. Bake for 35-50 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

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Chicken Pot Pie with Cream Biscuits

If you are just looking for a biscuit recipe, skip all my boring commentary and skip on down!

I understand that I have several recipes on this blog that are some variation of Chicken Pot Pie.  What can I say, I love my one-dish, carb-covered meals! This is another Test Kitchen masterpiece that is easy to make, full of veggies (and fat, but no one needs to pay attention to that), and gives you a few days of fantastic leftovers.  You could probably substitute any of the vegetables for whatever is in season.  Instead of biscuits, you can also use a pie topping, but I find the biscuits easier and more delicious... Whatever floats your boat!

Cream Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions for Biscuits:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (unless you're making pot pie, then just make up the dough).

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.  Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until the doug forms, about 30 seconds.  turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball.  Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.

3. Pat the dough into a 3/4" thick circle.  Cut the biscuits into rounds using a biscuit cutter. They're now ready for the pot pie, or you can bake them for 15 minutes on your prepped baking sheet!

Pot Pie

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick

2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4" thick

1 onion, minced

Salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. dry sherry

3 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 c. heavy cream

2 bay leaves

Pepper

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces

1 c. frozen peas

2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1 Recipe Cream Biscuits (see above)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the flour.  Slowly whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in the broth, cream, and bay leaves.  Simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes.

3. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir the chicken into the sauce and continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

4. Discard the bay leaves and stir int he peas and parsley.  Pour the mixture into a 9" x 13" baking dish.

5. Lay the biscuits over the filling.  Bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Whole-Wheat Dinner Rolls

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a wonderful time spending time with family; I know I did!

I made two types of rolls this year, and I thought for sure that The Pioneer Woman no-knead rolls would surely win out.  I was wrong. These rolls from my Healthy America's Test Kitchen Cookbook were the winner by a landslide, even the baby cousins loved them! They're fairly simple to make and turn out so light and fluffy.  Next year I better make more!

Photo courtesy of americastestkitchenfeed.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm buttermilk (110 degrees)

5 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

2 Tablespoons honey

1 large egg

2 1/12 cups whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 - 2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Whisk the milk, butter, honey, and egg together in a liquid measuring cup.  Combine the whole-wheat flour, 1/12 cups of the white flour, yeas, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.  With the mixed on low speed, add the milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

2. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.  If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball.  Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size 1 to 1/2 hours. 

4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gently press it into a 10-inch square, then cut it into 16 equal pieces.  Working with one piece of dough at a time (keep the remaining pieces covered with a towel), round the dough into smooth, taut rolls and lay them in two slightly staggered rows on the prepared baking sheet. (The rolls should be close together.  They will rise into each other to create pull-apart rolls, which prevents them from getting dry and crusty).

5. Spray the rolls lightly with vegetable oil spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until they have nearly doubled in size, 45-75 minutes. 

6. Preheat an oven to 425.  If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven while it heats up and let heat for 30 minutes.

7. After the rolls have risen, place them in the oven (the rimmed baking sheet directly on the baking stone), and immediately reduce the heat to 400 degrees.  Bake until the rolls are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread/Cinnamon Rolls

I love pumpkin... one might say I'm obsessed. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, pumpkin kisses, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin deliciousness... Lucky for me, there's such a thing as Pinterest that has endless amounts of pumpkin recipes all for me!

This bread (originally from  Sunny Side Up) epitomizes the essence of autumn... perfectly pumpkin with just the right amount of sweetness in the Rum Glaze.  It goes perfect with a cup of coffee for breakfast or dessert.  The second time I made a double batch, making half into cinnamon rolls instead of pull-apart bread and topped it with Cream Cheese Frosting for the hubby. Both forms are equally heavenly.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/14 teaspoon (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/12 cups bread flour

Filling:
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Glaze:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown usgar
1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. rum extract

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool to about 100-110 degrees F. Add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir on low speed until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead on medium speed for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time (I used about a 1/2 cup extra).

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.  When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle. Melt two tablespoons butter and brush evenly over the doug.  Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips into a greased 9" x 5" loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Alternately, if you'd prefer cinnamon rolls: After spreading butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture over rectangle, roll dough into a log, then cut into 12 equal pieces and place in a greased 9"x13" pan.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes  or until top is a very deep golden brown. (Like most breads, it tasted much better when it was a little underdone).

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum extract and powdered sugar.

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English Muffin Bread

Perfect texture. Perfect taste. Perfect toast.

I made two loaves of this, sliced them, then kept them in the freezer.  Made for great quick breakfasts!

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups warm water

3 3/4 tsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

6 1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together, then let rise until almost doubled, about an hour and a half.  Spoon batter into 2 well greased loaf pans.  Let rise again in the pans until dough reaches the top of the pans.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  10 minutes before they are done, brush the tops with melted butter.  Allow to cool completely before cutting.

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Bagels

Mac wanted bagels for his school lunches, so instead of going out and buying some, I made them. Crazy, I know. Quite simple, really... just a little time consuming. After they cool, I cut them all in half and freeze so they will last us a while.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. whole-wheat flour

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 c. warm water

3 T. white sugar

1 T. salt

1 T. molasses

Directions:

1. In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Cut into 8 or 10 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise until doubled, about an hour.
4. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of molasses in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.
5. When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.
6. Broiling option: For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.

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Pizza Bread

I've been craving pizza lately. The thing is, I don't really like pizza sauce... so, really, I'm just craving bread and cheese.  Well, I came across this recipe on Pinterest, and decided to mesh it with my Healthy ATK pizza crust to satisfy the craving. 

Final verdict: delicious cheesy bread and a ready-to-go crust in the freezer! You can either make two loaves of bread, two 14" pizza crusts, or one of each - both would freeze well, also.

Ingredients:

2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 1/4 tsps. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsps. salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

(For bread, you will also need cheese and herb butter)

Directions:

Pulse the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in the food processor until combined.  With the processor running, pour the oil, then the water, through the feed tube and process until a rough ball forms, 30 to 40 seconds.

Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process for 30 seconds longer.  If the dough is sticky and clings to the blade, add 1/4 cup more bread flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it into a smooth, round ball.  Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and separate dough into two balls.  To freeze pizza dough, as I did, simply wrap one ball tightly in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag for up to one month.  Let the frozen dough thaw on the counter for 2 to 3 hours or overnight in the fridge before using.

For the bread:


Shape one ball of dough into a long baguette.  I twist mine as directed so that it holds its shape better.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Once warm, place bread in oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 minutes.  While its baking, melt some butter (I used less than half a stick for one loaf) with a clove of garlic, some salt and italian herb seasoning (about 1/2 to 1 tsp of each) and slice your choice of cheese (I used about 8-10 slices of cheddar, and sprinkled with parmesan).  Brush the loaf with half of the butter, then return to the oven for 5-7 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Let bread cool for 15 minutes, then, slice into 1" slices diagonally about 3/4 of the way down.  Brush the remaining butter into slices and then tuck in the cheese slices.  Bake for about 3-5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately!

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Cinnamon Roll Cake

Yes, I found this on Pinterest. And yes, I will repin this on Pinterest. I love Pinterest. I love this cake even more!

My brother loves cinnamon rolls, and as often as he'd love for me to make them, I just don't have the time.  So, this year for his birthday, I decided to try out this Pinterest recipe that combined Cinnamon Roll and Cake.  He (and all his co-workers) LOVED it.  He said, "How did you do this?! It's a cinnamon roll, but its cake! It's perfect!" He almost didn't share, but it's a good thing he did considering how much butter there is in this! (Oh well, can't live with it, can't live without it!)

Original recipe from: http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/2011/07/cinnamon-roll-cake.html

Ingredients:

Cake:

3 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. white sugar (I used a little less)

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:

1 c. butter softened,

1 c. brown sugar

2 T. flour

1 T. cinnamon

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

5 T. milk

Directions:

For the cake, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla, then add to the flour mixture.  Slowly stir in the melted butter.  Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 pan.  For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined (I used my food processor).  Drop evenly over the batter and "swirl" with a knife.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

For the glaze, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.  Drizzle over the cake while warm.

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Pumpkin Scones

As you all are well aware, I'm on a pumpkin kick....

Pumpkin Scones - Delicious!

Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/14 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar (brown will give a richer flavor)
1/2 c. butter, cubed and chilled
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 T. white sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, beat together egg and pumpkin.  Fold this mixture into the dry ingredients, just until moistened.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and pat into two circles, about 1/2-3/4" thick.  Cut each circle into 6-8 wedges (depending on how big you want them).

Place triangles on ungreased cookie sheets.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes.

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Test Kitchen Pumpkin Bread

In my personal, unprofessional opinion, this bread had the best texture... so moist and dense! The crust was perfect, though this loaf may have had more dough than most people like (I credit that to my finicky oven).  I made two loaves, one plain and one with chocolate chips for the hubby.

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin (make sure its unsweetened, NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 c. white sugar

1 stick (8 Tbs) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. pecans/walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse (I omitted these in one loaf, replaced the with chocolate in the other)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prep a 9 by 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl.  Whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until frothy.

Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.  Fold in the nuts (if using).  The batter will be very thick.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.  Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45-55 minutes.  

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

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Obsession

I have an obsession with cinnamon rolls.

Sweet dough, slightly undercooked.
Brown sugar and cinnamon.
Butter. Lots of butter.
Cream cheese frosting.

Who wouldn't be obsessed?

Granted, I think I can blame the obsession on my husband who's answer to "What do you want for breakfast" is always... you guessed it, "Cinnamon Rolls".  Every holiday, birthday, special day is celebrated with cinnamon roll indulgence.

If you don't believe that I'm obsessed, just look at how many recipes I've posted for cinnamon rolls:
Grandma Johnson's
Test Kitchen
Apple Dumpling Version
Mary's
Pioneer Woman's

I've also made cappuccino cinnamon rolls, but can't seem to find the recipe on the blog. There's one to post!

All that to say, I've found a new recipe to try... it combines cinnamon rolls with my other fall obsession: pumpkin.  It donned on me yesterday that it's mid-November, Halloween has passed, and I have yet to make ANY pumpkin recipes!  That changed quickly; 4 cans of pumpkin puree later, and plans to make my own in the near future, there are 2 loaves of pumpkin bread filling my house with its spicy aroma.  Pumpkin scones are next on the agenda, then these:

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.  Welcome, autumn flavors!!

Check out this recipe and let me know if you try it!

http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/09/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls.html

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Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

All I can say is mmmmmm...!

Pioneer Woman has done it - these are amazing.  Best cinnamon rolls I've ever made.. The rolls aren't too sweet, which pairs perfectly with the maple frosting.  Just overlook how much butter is in this recipe, and remind yourself that its enough cinnamon rolls to feed a village.  

Head on over to Pioneer Woman for the recipe... I can't compete with her step-by-step photo tutorial or her humor.  

Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

While you're there, you should probably check out the rest of her site.. she's pretty amazing. I aspire to be her someday.. in my dream world, of course.  

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Corn and Chicken Soup with Garlic-Cheese Biscuits

I was sick for two weeks.... and while this soup did not help me get better, it was soothing. :) A new, simple twist on chicken noodle soup.

1 (16oz) bag frozen corn, thawed

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 T. unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped (I left it out for my anti-onion friends)

1 celery rib, sliced thin

Salt and Pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

3 cups egg noodles

Directions:

Combine 2 cups of corn and 2 cups broth in blender and puree until smooth.  Melt the butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Cook onion, celery, remaining corn, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in remaining broth, chicken, noodles, and pureed corn mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until noodles are tender and chicken is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Believe it or not, this recipe came off the back of the flour bag! Yum!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. self-rising flour

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. butter

1 c. buttermilk

3/4 c. cheddar cheese

2 T. butter, melted

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Stir together flour and sugar.  Use a pastry blender to cut in 1/2 c. butter until mixture is crumble.  Stir in buttermilk and cheese until dough comes together.  Drop by large spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and back 10-12 minutes.  After baking, brush with mixture of butter and garlic powder.

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Grandma Johnson's Caramel Rolls

The difference between Johnson-cooking and Mikaela-cooking:  precision.

Mac's mother and grandmother have some amazing recipes, there's no doubt about that!  But EVERY recipe I ever request from them goes a little something like this:  "well, I put some of this and that together, then you add a little more and whip it up real good, then throw in some of this, and bake it til it's done"

Huh?

Even I, semi-experience-amateur baker need a little more direction than that!  I guess I shouldn't be so picky, because EVERYTHING they make is delicious and perfect... apparently its the love that holds it all together. :)

Mac's birthday was on Thursday and I wanted to surprise him by making his grandma's caramel rolls.  The problem, again, with making anything for Mac that comes from his family is he always responds "it's good, but it's different than how she makes it."  As was the verdict with these rolls... Well, I can't be Mama O and I can't be Grandma Johnson, but I will sure try and learn from them!  Maybe you can do a better job with this than I did... I'll try and add in MY specific measurements, since those tend to be lacking.

This was the original recipe:
Rolls- makes about 64 crescent rolls/large pan or 2 9/13 pans cinnamon rolls

4 cups evaporated milk or 1 2/3 powder milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 oil
3 well beaten eggs 
1 tsp salt 
10 -12 cups flour

3 Tbsp yeast plus 1 tsp sugar mixed into 1 cup warm water.  Let yeast activate
Mix with liquid ingreds. and knead in flour. Knead well into a ball and place into  
greased large bowl. Cover and let rise/double once.  Punch down and form into 
rolls and bake at 375 for 12 minutes.
For cinnamon rolls, roll out dough into a large rectangle onto a floured service,
about 1/2 inch thick.  Spread dough with butter and sprinkle well with cinnamon
and sugar.  You can use white or brn sugar.  Roll length wise into a long log.
Take a piece of thread and lift log and place thread underneath it and cross over
on top slicing thru log.  About 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices.  Place into pan.  Meanwhile
mix  1 pint of whipping cream and add brn sugar to it til thick.  Pour this mixture
over rolls and bake at 375 till brown.  Enjoy!

You can make a couple dozen of rolls and then just one 9/13 pan of cinnamon rolls
Secret make sure you do use alot of brn sugar for the carmel sauce!


Here's my version JUST for one batch cinnamon rolls:


Ingredients:

1 1/2 T. active dry yeast

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. warm water

2 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 well beaten eggs (medium or 1 1/2 large)
1/2 tsp. salt
5-6 c. all-purpose flour


Filling: 
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. softened butter


Topping:
1 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. brown sugar


Directions:
Mix together water, yeast, and 1/2 tsp sugar and let rest til foamy, approximately 5 minutes.  Beat in milk, sugar, oil, salt, and eggs until combined, then mix in flour, 1 cup at a time.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.  (I use my kitchenaid then knead by hand for 1 minute into a ball).  Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rise until doubled.  
After it's doubled, roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.  Spread with softened butter, then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Roll lengthwise into a tight log and pinch to seal seam.  Cut using thread or a serrated knife into 1 1/2 inch pieces and place in a greased 9x13 pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise til doubled.  Preheat oven to 350.  
For the topping, mix together cream and brown sugar until it's thick.  Pour over prepared rolls.  Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and center is still gooey.  

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Chocolate-Filled Peanut Butter Scones

These were Mac's favorite... of course anything with chocolate and peanut butter will be his favorite!  I thought they were good; but much more like a tall, dense, cookie than a scone.  I adapted the recipe from a vegan website, and thought it turned out pretty well!

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 T. butter, chilled

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/3 c. milk plus 2 Tbsp. cream (or all milk)

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. peanut butter chips

1 1/2 oz. bittersweet/semisweet chocolate.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder.  Cut the margarine into 1/2-inch cubes, and distribute them over the flour mixture.  Cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

Whisk together milk, cream, egg, and vanilla then add to the flour mixture.

Add the peanut butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir or knead until combined.  Knead in the peanuts.

Pat the dough out into a 1/2-inch thickness on a cutting board.  Using a 2 1/2- to 3-inch-diameter round biscuit cutter, cut rounds out of the dough.  Re-knead the scraps and cut out again, repeating until all the dough is used up.  You should have 16 rounds.

Place 8 of the rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Top each round with a piece of chocolate and one of the remaining circles of dough.  Press the edges gently to seal.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

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And the winner is...

... Lemon-Berry Scone!

The healthiest of the bunch, I used whole-wheat flour, the least amount of butter and sugar, and a combination of homemade blackberry jam and fresh-lemon glaze.  Perfect in texture, taste, and overall goodness!

The recipe can be found at 101cookbooks, or on my blog.  

The other 4 were all devoured, loved, and close-seconds!  Most people in the office could not make a decision about the "best" scone because they just loved them all.  This one is my personal favorite, but I also enjoyed the oatmeal scone from Test Kitchen.  All the recipes will be posted soon!

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Scone Bake-Off

I'm having a scone bake-off!! If you have any scone recipes you'd like to contribute, please leave a comment.  A co-worker of mine always asks for free scones at coffee shops, and always gets let down.  So, I thought I would provide some free scones for her, and the rest of the office.  However, a discussion came up about the texture of scones and how they can be really good or really bad.  So, I'm on a hunt to find the best recipe!  

The trick here is that I am choosing a variety of scones, which may be difficult to really compare to each other.  Nonetheless, these are the recipes that caught my eye...

These are the candidates:

Mega Scones (with blackberry jam and lemon glaze)

Test Kitchen Cream Scones (considering crystallized ginger as the add-in)

Test Kitchen Oatmeal Cream Scones

My 1938 Watkins Cookbook English Cream Scones

Peanut Butter Scones adapted from a vegan website (to un-veganize it!)

Look for the results in the coming days!

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